Let's
face it. A really good skeleton costs a lot of
money. Even a "budget Bucky" will run
you around $100 by the time you pay for shipping.
There are some latex knockoffs, but we're still looking
at $40-$60.

You've
probably seen this
Made-in-China-plastic-skeleton-in-a-bag for about
$10.00. In all fairness, it really doesn't look
that bad. However, it's a little short, and
chances are you'll never fool anyone into believing it's
a real skeleton. It's just not very
convincing. But what if you could dress it up a
little?

Click
pix to zoom in

Suppose
we use this skeleton as a FCG marionette. It
wouldn't even have to move, for that matter.
Just hang there looking scary.

The
plastic joints on this thing are pretty
crummy. They have little range of motion,
and they're not very strong. Let's fix them
first.

Dismembered
skeleton.
It already looks spookier!

Just
pop the arms and legs off the torso.
Drill a hole through the pin and socket of
each joint. Use a piece of wire to
thread nylon string through the holes, then
tie the ends together.

This
might not look like much up close and in the
light, but now your skeleton is much more
limber, and darkness hides string. If
you need a really agile skeleton, do the
same to his elbows and knees.